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A little bit of my worst nightmare has occured. Okay, so maybe that’s a little dramatic. Callan’s great, we’re good, and life is good.

The bad news? Callan has a dairy allergy. I never wanted to have ‘that kid with the allergy’.

No dairy? This means Mommy gets no dairy. No cheese, no yogurt, no butter, no milk, no Caprese (sigh), limited chocolate, and no creamy dressings. Dairy is in everything. EVERYTHING!

Let me back up. The first sign there was a problem was a bit of blood in his diaper. I’m talking a very small amount but to a new (and probably all) mom, this was scary. We brought him to the doc and she said it could be a dairy allergy, but it was more likely just a bit of blood from “explosive poops.” Sweet, huh? He’s such a boy.

Well, then we just started noticing him getting more and more fussy, acting a bit lethargic, and just not right. Just as we were debating bringing him in, he threw up. This kid had only spit up a very small amount once or twice. So, again, scary mommy moment. We brought him in and the doc talked us through it. There weren’t any glaring signs of what was going on so she told us to watch him closely and notice any changes in his diapers, behavior, eating, etc. The good thing which also made this difficult to discover, is that he was thriving. He’s eating well, gaining weight, and hitting all the milestones.

We left the doctor’s office and went to lunch. At lunch, we looked over at him and milk was coming out his nose. Poor little guy! We immediately brought him back to the doctor. While we were waiting, I changed his diaper. Guess what? More blood.

The doc took me off dairy for three days then said to add it back in and see if we notice any changes. Three days wasn’t long enough for anything to change so I went back off dairy for five days. That’s when we really saw the difference. Still, the only way to make sure that’s what was really going on was to add back in dairy. That lasted just half a day. This time it was obvious.

So, here we are.

This diet change is drastic — not only because of the delicious food items I have to avoid, but because it also changes my food philosophy. My food philosophy is moderation. I eat what I want. Yes, there may be high-fructose corn syrup, flavor additives, fake this, fake that, but, oh well. I just either don’t eat it often or eat it in very small amounts. Just because I post a lot of decadent recipes, doesn’t mean it’s my entire diet. My breakfast and lunches tend to be very light and healthy. Dinner and mostly dessert is where I indulge.

I’m removing a large number of foods I eat on a regular basis. Yes, not all are good for me but some are. I’ll miss my yogurt for a mid-morning snack. Caprese, well, just won’t exist. Pizza, will it even be worth it? Baking? Right now, feels like a distant memory. Cheese board for Dad’s birthday and Father’s Day? Football Sundays? Our upcoming trip to England and the food I won’t be able to eat? I could go on and on.

While I (and Andy) spend a few days being depressed about my limited diet, I’m also going to work on finding a new way to cook. A big challenge will be finding recipes Andy enjoys as well. Of course, he can still eat dairy, but for dinner, besides throwing on a slice of cheese for him, I don’t see myself cooking two different meals. I’ve seen a lot of weird (weird because I don’t use them) ingredients so now is the time to figure them all out. I do know I can search for vegan (though, I can eat eggs) recipes and that should give me a good start.

So here we go. It’s time for us to get all granola-crunchy and start eating tofu, nutritional yeast, almond milk, and soy cheese. I’m trying to look on the bright side. I’ve always joked that if I could take cheese out of my diet, I’d lose 10 pounds. We’ll see. I’ll either lose a bunch of weight from cutting out some high fat sources or gain 10 pounds because I’ll eat a bunch of pre-packaged junk food.

The good news is, there’s a very good chance he could outgrow this. About 75% of babies do. The doc says I shouldn’t try dairy again until he’s 6 months. Ehh. I don’t 100% agree but we’ll see how that goes. I also want to test out how he does with goat or sheep’s milk. From a lot of online research (all expert advice, of course), many kids only have a cow’s milk allergy.

She also said she’ll want us to very slowly introduce new foods to him plus do some allergy testing when he’s a year. Honestly, I think this is a bit extreme but of course, I want to and will do what’s best for him.

Trust me. Anything to see this happy face is completely worth it!

Wish us luck! Do you have any dairy free websites, advice, recipes, etc. for us?

July 15 — It was quite the day. A little unexpected and scary but so absolutely incredible.

Just after 2 pm, I was in the kitchen making Tomato, Corn and Avocado salad. While cutting the jalapenos, I grabbed a pair of gloves thinking “I’d better make sure to use the gloves in case I meet the little guy soon. I wouldn’t want to give him jalapeno burns.” A few minutes later I felt something warm flowing down my legs (Sorry, kind of gross.). We all know pregnancy can do things to your bladder but this was different. I sopped up the mess with some paper towels, went to the bathroom.

Calling to Andy, I yell down the hall, “Either I just peed my pants or my water broke.” Calmly, he asked me a few questions and we decided it was time to call the midwife office. Since it was a Sunday, she was paged then called me back. We told her what had happened and she asked a few questions to determine how far along things might be. At this time, I had no contractions. She told me that if I still hadn’t had contractions within 12 hours, I’d need to come into the hospital to start Pitocin. Not at all what I wanted. She told us to wait at home for a bit, hydrate, eat some light food and take a nap…sounds like we’ll be in for a long night.

Our nightmare had always been I would go into labor on a Sunday afternoon and we’d have to fight beach traffic. With no traffic, we’re just over an hour from the hospital. With beach traffic, it could be anywhere from 2-4 hours. If this happened, the plan had always been to leave as soon as I had any sign of labor. Since I had no contractions, we decided to just take our time, wrap things up around the house, then relax a bit… doctors orders! In a couple of hours, we’d reassess and probably head to my parent’s house which is about 20 min from the hospital so we could be a bit closer.

Earlier that day and the night before, my low back had been hurting a lot. At some point, I had even been on all fours to ease the pain. It kind of felt like period back pain.

From here, the details get a little blurry and timing a bit vague. My back was still hurting quite a bit, but mostly, I was excited. We were going to meet Baby Ruf so soon! We already had the bags packed but went back through them, gathered a few additional items and set everything by the door. I started a load of laundry and we camped out on the couch to watch a movie — Andy puts in our latest Netflix movie, Man On A Ledge. Uhh no, a little too intense. My turn…Ratatouille.

During the movie, I kept getting up to go to the bathroom as water (and other stuff) was still coming out. Each time, I felt like I had to go to the bathroom (#2). There had been some other pains that felt like intestinal issues. The pain in my back never let-up and even got worse.

Andy kept asking, “Are you sure they aren’t contractions.” My response was “I don’t know but I don’t think so. They’re not how they always describe them. I think I’m just having stomach issues.” The pain never let up and besides my aching low back, the pain was only in the very low part of my abdomen. They always say it should start in the back, move to the front and would be your entire abdomen.

I was so convinced I’d be at least a week late, I just couldn’t accept I was in labor.

Andy made me start tracking them. I had something but couldn’t really tell when it started and ended. It got worse, then felt a bit better. My back just hurt!! We think I had two contractions during the 4 o’clock hour.

About 5 o’clock, I called the midwife again to ask about the amount of blood in the “water.” She talked me through it and decided it wasn’t too much that she wasn’t concerned for me or the baby. Just keep waiting and leave when the contractions are 10 min apart.

The pain in my back just kept getting worse and something was just weird. I told Andy I thought we should head out and maybe just go to my parents. By the time we put everything in the car and I put myself together (20 min or so), things got so bad, I told Andy we needed to go to the hospital. Something just wasn’t right. At this time, I still wasn’t convinced I was having contractions. It was my back that was killing me.

We got on the road about 6, called the midwife and our parents. By now, though my back was still constantly hurting, the abdominal pains definitely had a start and end. 20 min down the road, the pains were becoming quite frequent and much more unbearable, so I started timing them. Contractions were 1 ½ minutes apart and lasting 30 seconds each. Between each contraction, I tried to find a comfortable position in the front seat. Going through this phase of labor in a car is not fun!

Andy said he could tell they were getting worse and worse by the way I was acting. At first I was just moaning and as we got closer to the hospital, I became a bit more verbal. The worse I said was “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow” throughout the contractions, though Andy seems to recall that a few cuss words were uttered. Such a potty mouth!

Between our house and the hospital there is one other hospital, a trauma center, and some other medical facility. We almost stopped at the first one but all I could think about was not having my midwife, not knowing the hospital, not being able to have a natural birth, etc. Turns out, this never would have mattered :)

The traffic ended up not being too bad. Very heavy traffic but no major delays. We can probably thank the crazy thunderstorms that afternoon. My guess is people left the beach a bit earlier than normal.

We arrived at the hospital and Andy went in to find a wheelchair. There was no way I could make it in on my own. He came back with a security guard who told him to leave the car there and just come back when he had a chance. Getting me out of the car was probably a sight to see! Andy wheeled me in and up to the second floor. I had two contractions while they were checking me in. Ugh! I’m sure they were thinking I was still in the early stages of labor.

No early signs of labor just yet. I’m still having Braxton Hicks here and there but nothing else.

I do feel like Baby Ruf is trying to get out though. He still moves around like crazy and I feel limbs everywhere all day long. He frequently punches my bladder and hits nerves that send shooting pains down my legs. Ouch! I tried to explain this to Andy. Have you ever been shocked and after it’s a little painful but eventually goes away? That’s what it feels like.

Can you tell I’m a bit ready to get this dude out? Really, I’m just anxious to meet him, see his cute little face, and just hold him. Andy’s getting the same way. He wants to meet him so badly. Hurry up, little one!

Overall, I’m still feeling pretty good but very exhausted. Vacuuming the house took three attempts. I had to sit down and take breaks in between rooms. I also didn’t work out once. Not one single time! This is probably the time where I should be at least walking but I’ve just been too darn lazy. I will try to get back into it next week. Or, I’ll just enjoy being lazy.

I forgot to mention something awesome from last week! Andy’s office had a shower for us. If you’re keeping track, that’s five showers (5!!!) for Baby Ruf. We’re so very lucky. Along with a diaper changers (disposable plastic gloves) and coffee for the “late nights,” they gave us a swing. This was something we weren’t sure if we were going to buy or not so we’re very, very thankful we received one as a gift. I’ve heard they work wonders.

July 4th was the highlight of our week. Check out this view!

My dad’s office overlooks the DC mall. This is the best possible option for a 39 week pregnant lady. We hung out inside in the A/C then stepped out just in time for the fireworks. I thought the booms would cause the baby to react but he was fairly quiet the whole time.

Friday was the 39 week appointment with the midwife. It was again, a boring but good appointment. He was super active while I was there. So active, the midwife was laughing at him. His heart rate was fast (nothing bad) because he was just moving so much. I told her that he gets hiccups all the time and she told me that’s a a very healthy sign. I looked it up when I got home and read it’s a way for them preparing to breathe. It means their central nervous system and lungs are working well. Yay!

Like this:

They say he’s the size of a pumpkin now. That sounds a bit scary. As in, how I’m getting this kid out?

I look tired all the time now and I suspect that’s not changing any time soon. No sleep and allergies. We know the sleep won’t get any better but I am looking forward to taking some allergy meds soon.

Side story about taking pictures this week. Andy was looking through the camera and saw a spot. He checks it out further and turns out there was a microscopic spider inside my camera. What? How does that happen? Spiders find me everywhere! Now, I have to get my camera cleaned because of a stinkin’ spider.

Things are changing! I can definitely tell something is going on. I’ve had a lot more Braxton Hicks, pelvic pain, low back pain, breast tenderness, some ankle swelling, and some weird leg pain they tell me is round ligament (didn’t know that could hurt in my legs). These all sound terrible but overall, I’m still feeling pretty good. I thought the end of pregnancy would feel a lot worse, though maybe the end is still a few weeks away and it will get worse. Yikes!

I have had a bit more energy this week. Has the baby’s dropped? The belly looks a bit different in the pictures but it could be my shirt. He still manages to find my ribs, so who knows.

Emotions? I’m a mess. Two melt downs this week.

Nesting hit the end of this week. Yay! The list of projects is getting smaller and smaller. Pictures hung, toilet fixed, baby’s furniture finished, car seat installed, trash can painted, a few freezer meals complete, laundry done, pack-n-play/bassinet set-up, hospital bags almost packed, and the big one — baby’s room is pretty much complete.

The furniture looks great! Andy, his dad, and a few others here and there helped finish this furniture. I love it! We’re not ready for the full nursery reveal but this should give you a taste.

Speaking of the baby’s room, we bought the paint for the baby’s room about 5 months ago thinking we could just go with the light blue on the same palette as our living room. WRONG! We put it on the wall and it was terrible. It wasn’t any sort of baby’s room color and didn’t match any of the items we’ve already purchased. Oops! So, off to the paint store we went.

We found a new color and Andy convinced me to go brighter (with my full agreement). Andy’s sister and husband came over to help paint so I could work on other stuff and not sit in the fumes. Plus, now Andy’s conveniently guilted into helping them paint. ;)

You know it’s bad when they send the 2-year old to deliver the bad news. “Emi, daddy says come quickly.” It was bright…very, very bright. I couldn’t face going to pick another paint or telling them I didn’t like it so I let them continue figuring it would grow on me.

Fast forward to the next morning. I had a melt down. I hated it. It still needs a second coat so I’m waiting for it to grow on me a bit more so Andy doesn’t have to paint more AND I don’t have to pick another color. Ugh! I hate picking paints. Why is it so hard?

The best news of the week? Our office told us we have off Wed-Fri. A 5 day weekend! Yippe! It will be a nice break, though I can’t completely check-out knowing I may or may not be back the following week.

The 38 week appointment was boring and that’s a good thing. Nothing new to report. Now, we wait and pray he decides to be somewhat on time. He’s already testing my patience. ;)

While I get the camera ready, I have Andy stand in my place so I can set the focus. I figure he needs a pic on here too, right? Would you believe me that he’s the one pushing me to take these pictures? Yeah, I didn’t think so. So enthused.

Another shower! This time a virtual one hosted by Emily from A Gilt Nutmeg and Project Pastry Queen members. I just wish it wasn’t virtual so I could try all the food.

This week I’m truly feeling the dreaded exhaustion. Some days, I just can’t function and it takes everything I’ve got to get out of bed. Other days though, I feel fine. It could also be this crazy heat that’s messing with me. I’m waiting for the nesting phase to hit because that’s the only way these last few projects are going to get finished.

I had my last major work project before going on maternity leave. It was a meeting in NYC and I’m so thankful I didn’t try to go up and run the meeting in-person. Now, I just need to work on wrapping things up and making sure everyone knows what’s going on before I head out. Not a small task, just not as daunting.

The plan (as of today) is to work until July 13, then see what happens from there. If he comes early, then the plan is shot. I just don’t want to waste a day of maternity leave without the little guy here. It would be nice if I have a day or two before he arrives to wrap up a few last minute things, but I don’t really get a say in that. We’re on his schedule now.

The 37 week appointment went well. Nothing major to report, except they think the baby is face-up. The midwife says there’s no problem delivering but it will probably hurt mama more. Great! For the first time, I freaked out about delivering. I haven’t been scared because I figure I have no idea what it’s going to be like so I can’t even worry about it. When the midwife says it’s going to hurt, for some reason, that freaked me out. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep that night.

We took maternity pictures this week with our good friend Melissa. They almost didn’t happen. Big, ugly clouds looming threatened to dump on us. Thankfully, we only got a sprinkle. And because I’m behind in posting, she’s already got a sneak peak available. Thanks Melis!

I’m slowing down…guess it had to hit me at some point. Overall, I’m still feeling good but everything is getting a bit harder. Sleeping, walking, breathing, eating, working out, etc. One day I just couldn’t get the energy to work out so I tried a 30 min walk at lunch. Whoa! That was hard work. The next day though, I was feeling great again. Guess there will just be those days.

Apparently, Baby Ruf has NOT slowed down. I caught him in action this week. Check him out!

He’s also inherited a hiccuping problem from his mama. The poor little guy gets them at least once a day. I wonder if they feel the same floating around in the amniotic fluid? For his sake, hopefully not!

In other big news, I officially have a full outie. I think the little guy has been messing with it from the inside all week. So many of his movements have been right behind my belly button. Thanks Lil’ Dude.

My office threw us a shower this week. Wow, are we feeling loved. The gave us our car seat and base (yes, seriously!!) and others bought Baby Ruf clothes, toys, and so many fun things. They even brought in the cutest little cupcakes.

We’re in love with the RockABye pirate rocker they gave us to match his nautical themed nursery. They have some other very cool designs on their website. Aren’t they adorable?

Everything is still moving along and the belly is getting bigger! Some days I just can’t believe there is a little 5-ish pound little one inside my belly. It’s pretty amazing.

We had our first appointment with the midwife practice this week. It’s definitely a different experience compared to a normal OBGYN office. They did the weight, pee, and blood pressure test. Then they listened for the heartbeat and little man kicked the midwife! Oops! Maybe it’s because she said he has a bony butt. :) She said I am measuring a bit small but that I could just be a bit smaller and that’s ok.

They asked me why I was switching practices so I explained my reasoning. To my relief, she said a lot of people change towards the end of pregnancy because just like me, they don’t really start thinking about the delivery until much closer to the due date. We talked about epidurals and my concerns and said we can definitely decide the day of. We talked about inducing, and while I didn’t ask how long they’ll let me go after my due date (should it come to that), she talked about their goal in not inducing if at all possible. Overall, it wasn’t a long appointment but I did feel very pleased with our decision to make the switch. The only thing that surprised me is that she said I didn’t have to come back for two weeks.

Because she didn’t need to see me for two more weeks and because I’m just nervous, I went ahead with the follow-up sonogram to check Baby Ruf’s measurements. I just needed peace of mind in knowing he’s doing ok. This week, every movement or lack of movement has had me on edge and assuming the worst.

Of course, he’s measuring just fine! He’s still got super long legs and they are measuring a week ahead of everything else. She said he’s measuring about 5 lbs 8 oz (give or take 8 oz). And, he has hair! Can’t wait to see what color it is. Andy was bald for a long time before growing in beautiful blond hair. I had very light brown/strawberry blond hair. I hope he gets my curls.

Baby Ruf sucking on his fingers

Working out – Whoa! It’s getting harder and harder every day. I do find that the days I don’t workout, I’m more tired. Guess I’ll keep at it!

Hormones – I haven’t really been too emotional or had any crazy mood swings (you can ask Andy for the real story) this entire pregnancy. Over the past few weeks though, I get these over-the-top urges to cry. I don’t really know how to describe it but it’s overwhelming. I haven’t actually broken down and cried but it’s that I get the urge, think I’m going to lose it, then it passes. Weird.

My mom and maid-of-honor, Elli, hosted my other baby shower. It was awesome and everyone was so generous. One of my dearest friends, Sarah, happened to be in town (all the way from Switzerland) and she’s 30 weeks pregnant with a boy! The three of us have been through everything together and it’s so cool to be able to share this with them. Thanks to everyone who came and showered us with tons of love and an insane amount of gifts!

Like this:

It’s about time to have a comparison. Yep, I’d say there is something cooking in there.

22 Weeks 34 Weeks

This week we had a doctor appointment and the 3D/4D appointment.

First was the doctor appointment. We met with the PA and she was awesome. I don’t think this will change our mind about moving to the midwife practice though. She said my fundal height is a measuring a bit small. She’s not too concerned but we should keep an eye on it for the next appointment. She gave us an order for a growth ultrasound if we wanted to go ahead and get it done anyway for peace of mind.

At first, I wasn’t concerned. But then, it just churned all afternoon and I got worried, so…we’ll definitely be going for the follow-up. Plus, I like seeing the little guy.

Because she noted him/me being a bit small, I asked her about my weight gain or lack thereof. She said she wasn’t concerned because everyone is so different. She said to just keep an eye on it and indulge a bit. I should be gaining about a pound a week according to the norm and I haven’t gained a pound in almost three weeks. Oh, how things have changed in 8 months. I bet I won’t have this concern in about 6 weeks! ;)

After the doctor appointment, we had our 3D/4D sonogram. Seriously??? Baby Ruf didn’t cooperate again! He still has his head buried and they just can’t get a good view of him. Apparently, I have lower amniotic fluid (not too low) plus, he’s got his face nuzzled right on the placenta and buried behind my hip. All of these make it hard to get a good view of his face. After about 5 min of planking and being on all fours, he moved just a bit for us to kind of see him.

He looks like…a baby.

Big yawns!

Here’s a few pics from the awesome baby shower my two sister-in-laws threw! Aren’t they the best? Love them. Thanks girls!!!

Awesome cake made by Andy’s cousin. It looks just like the invitations, which the girls came up with b/c of my blog name, and then added little crocheted cowboy boots (another story behind that).

Baby Ruf now has his own designer onsies. What a cute idea!

Cutest table decorations and favors. Inside the pouches (which they sewed!!) were chocolate dipped pretzels, then secured shut with a diaper pin.

Baby Ruf isn’t complete without his own Detroit Lions attire!

They’ll kill me for posting this but it was the only pic with the two of them.

Like this:

And with this post, we’re officially back on track and caught up with the baby bump.

My two sister-in-laws, Angie and Sarah, threw me a shower last weekend. It was fantastic! They were so creative. Once I have the pictures, I’ll post a few. Just wait until you see this cake Andy’s cousin made and the adorable cowboy boots for the top. So cute! Thanks to everyone who came. We’re so thankful and Baby Ruf is so spoiled!

Warning! Long and somewhat opinionated post coming up…

It’s been an interesting week baby-wise. Ya know, just a rib out of place and changing doctors at 33 weeks. No big deal!

So, for the first. I know with being pregnant comes back pain. With my history of back problems, the pain I’ve had has been minimal. So minimal, I haven’t talked (complained) about it. This past week though, it was getting uncomfortable. I couldn’t quite get a full breath and when I took a deep breath I got a sharp pain in my mid-back. Turning over in the middle of the night was the worst.

Andy rubbed my back a few times then one night said,”Your rib feels funny.” Duh! I should have realized an old injury would pop up when all of my insides are being squished and moved around. A few years ago, I had some ribs slip out of place. I’m still not exactly sure what this means but basically, everything that keeps your ribs lined up gets out of whack and it’s not comfortable. After a visit to the chiropractor, I’m breathing much better but still very sore. Unfortunately, he said it might not feel right until I deliver since the baby will continue to push at my ribs.

For the second item…changing doctors. I’m not completely sure when or why this happened but I was just getting uncomfortable with my practice and information I was finding out about the hospital. I probably should have researched more of this early on, but as the due date approaches, I’m just now thinking of some of these things. I’ve had two concerns from early on: 1) I don’t want to be tied to machines my entire labor and 2) I don’t want a c-section if at all possible.

I just learned the hospital I’m planning to deliver at has a 38% c-section rate. That’s high and they have one of the highest in MD. Also, I know a few people who have delivered there and been induced way before they wanted to. One had to have a c-section.

I didn’t know much about midwives and all I really think of when I hear the term is water-birth and giving birth at home. I don’t want either of these. I want to deliver in a hospital but not be forced to do things I don’t know enough about or that aren’t necessary. After doing a bit more research on some local midwife practices, I gave one a call. Because I’m past 32 weeks, their only caveat was I had to do a hospital birth. So, I set-up my first appointment but it’s not until June 6.

Their c-section rate (including the hospital births) is only 5%.

Epidural is still an option (this is a game-time decision for me)

IV and constant fetal monitoring is optional assuming everything is going well

Episiotomy rate = 1% and induction rate = 10% (Admittedly, I don’t have numbers to compare this to but they seem fairly low to me after talking to others.)

Before June 6, I still have another appointment at my original office where I’ll ask a few more questions and if I’m not pleased, I’ll continue with the midwife. We also have our hospital visit and birthing class before the 6th so I can ask more about the hospital’s standard practices and how they make some of their choices.

Andy also says he’s pleased with us going this direction. It may be more that I’m at ease but either way, he’s on board.

By next week, I could completely change my mind again so don’t hold me to anything! Also, I know that by making all these “plans,” nothing will go as planned. It just makes me feel better and more prepared.

Like this:

It feels so good to be home with my conferences over. We can focus on baby, knock a few items off our to-do list, finish a few books (I’m in the middle of Hunger Games!!) and try to enjoy these next two months.

No big news from this week’s doc appointment. Heart beat is good, he’s still head down, Braxton Hicks have stopped, and my weight good. I also double checked with the doc to make sure that when baby is digging around, I can push him right back. :)

Weight gain is right at 16 pounds. A couple less than the books say is “normal” but I’m eating when hungry (plus some) and the doc hasn’t said anything. I thought this didn’t happen until much closer to the end of pregnancy, but I’ve already found I can’t eat as much in one sitting. I just get too full and uncomfortable very quickly. I’ve always been a snacker, so eating smaller, more frequent meals hasn’t been an issue.

A few people ask me what I’ve been doing for workouts these days. Since we moved, we no longer belong to a gym. It’s a bummer but I’ve made it work. I have a few DVDs that I swap from day to day, plus I try to walk on nice days.

Summer Sanders’ Prenatal Workout – I really like this one because it has different workouts for each trimester and a full and short version of each. This one seems more tailored for someone who has been active prior to pregnancy so I appreciated that. Doing the same workout for three months straight does get a bit old so I bought a few others.

Denise Austin Fit & Firm Pregnancy – I got this one near the end of my second trimester. Had I purchased it earlier, I might have been bored, but now I love it. It has great cardio but isn’t too strenuous. If you’ve been active in the past, you’ll probably find the 20 min cardio to not be enough. Combined with one of the 20 min strength training portions, it’s just right.

Yoga Pregnancy: Pre and Post Natal Workouts – This is good for those days where you just have no energy or need some good stretching. I’d been having a bit of back pain and tightness and thought some yoga might help. I’ve done yoga here and there throughout the years and find this DVD to be a bit easy. I’ve found it’s a good one to combine with another workout. Also, it’s been great for keeping me flexible as the other two DVDs focus on cardio and strength training.

Most of all, keep moving! I really think it’s helped me in keeping up some energy and feeling better overall.